Evil Ryu
|Evil Ryu (Street Fighter IV and Capcom vs. SNK series)}} , also known as or Dark Ryu, is a character from the Street Fighter series who was originally featured in the 1996 Street Fighter Zero manga before appearing as playable fighter in Street Fighter Alpha 2. This is the form Ryu takes if he ever succumbs to the Satsui no Hado. Ryu ultimately purged his evil half when he overcame the Satsui no Hado, but doing so gave birth to a powerful new foe. Biography Appearance Evil Ryu first appeared as a palette swap of Ryu wearing a black or dark purple gi, in his gaming debut, the Alpha series also gives him a black headband. His skin and hair also featured a slightly dark shade. From the SNK vs. Capcom series onward, his eyes been depicted with red irises, although some games have his eyes glow entirely red. Like Akuma, Evil Ryu has a signature kanji that appears when he performs the Raging Demon; in Street Fighter Alpha 3 and Capcom vs. SNK 2, the kanji is "destruction" (metsu'), though it only appears in his endings and Super Combo Finishes. In Super Street Fighter IV: Arcade Edition, his design was given an update; he takes on a much more menacing and powerful appearance, with traits taken from Akuma. He now has fangs, his eyes glow, his gi, gloves, and headband are torn, and his hair is spiked upwards with a reddish tint. His voice is also more demonic sounding, and he also constantly emits a dark red aura during fights. Most notable of all is a gaping hole burned into his chest, with a similar scar on his back that bears a glowing "heaven" (ten) kanji. The scar resembles the effects of being hit up close with Oni's Meido Gohado, and could also be a reference to a scene in the ''Ryu Final'' manga, in which Akuma punches through Ryu's chest in their final battle and almost defeats him. In Ryu's guest appearance in Asura's Wrath, it is Asura who gives him the scar after launching him into the moon from Earth and attempting to impale him with his fist. The scar disappears after he returns to normal. Personality In the Street Fighter Alpha games, Evil Ryu is cold and conceited, and is obsessed with fighting in order to prove he is the strongest. In Super Street Fighter IV, he is a more demonic and murderous-driven being; while his anger is not mindless, he has purged all traces of his former honorable self. He enjoys absolute power, and lacks any sort of empathy or respect, and despises what he perceives as weakness from all of humanity, such as love, family, justice and vengeance. He is also extremely brutal towards other fighters in general, especially to those that oppose him. Evil Ryu also refers to himself as heartless and nothing more but a demon, and will seek out and murder any opponent in a fight, regardless of their age and condition. He displays a very dangerous blood thirst and a ritualistic belligerence that almost borders on cannibalism, as seen in many of his prefight and win quotes. Relationships Oni While they have yet to meet each other in canon, Evil Ryu sees Oni as his rival and the only one who can give him a challenge. Sakura In the Japanese version of Street Fighter Alpha 2 he outright threatens to kill her if she stands in his way, though his appearance is non-canon. This happens again in the Street Fighter IV OVA, albeit being in a temporary state, but as a canon event. Story Background :See also: Satsui no Hado In the storyline of the original Street Fighter game, Ryu scarred and defeated Sagat with a single Shoryuken. The Street Fighter Alpha series later retconned this to Ryu losing control of himself by rising up fist first, striking Sagat with the Metsu Shoryuken. During Street Fighter Alpha 2, Ryu finally realized that the Satsui no Hado was the culprit behind his cheap victory over Sagat. Ryu vowed to reject the Satsui no Hado, but it wasn't enough to completely eliminate the Satsui no Hado, as it still resided within him, it was not until the end of Street Fighter IV that Gouken was able to seal it away using the "Power of Nothingness". Thus, it must be noted that Evil Ryu does not exist as a separate character, though it is naturally possible in some games (such as the home versions of Capcom vs. SNK 2: Mark of the Millennium 2001 and some versions of Street Fighter Alpha 3) for the player to include both normal Ryu and Evil Ryu in a battle, sometimes on the same team. In the home versions of Street Fighter Alpha 3, if the player matches normal Ryu against Evil Ryu, they have a special pre-match introduction that involves normal Ryu attacking first with a rushing elbow, and then Evil Ryu counterattacking, suggesting that the battle is taking place inside his mind, representing his struggle to resist the temptation to give in to the Satsui no Hado. Street Fighter Alpha 2 Evil Ryu shares his rivals and ending with Ryu in the English versions. In the Japanese version, Evil Ryu makes a direct threat at Sakura telling her that she was in his way and will show no mercy, and with Akuma, Evil Ryu acknowledges Akuma as his master's enemy, and Akuma taunts him, refering to him as a boy and a beginner, and wonders if Ryu believes his own Satsui no Hado was a match for him. The following text scrolls after he is shown defeating Gouki (the name Akuma is called by in Japanese versions). "Ryu defeated Gouki with his blood-soaked fist and then disappeared to whereabouts unknown. Did Ryu embrace the real Satsui no Hadou, or did he succeed Gouki as the Master of the Fist? Only time will tell when we see him again. Will he reach his full potential as a martial artist? Or..." Street Fighter Alpha 3 Evil Ryu encounters Sagat during his quest to become the ultimate fighter, and challenges him once again. Sagat told him to look at himself as he lost control of his power, and that he is not the same man he wanted to challenge. Annoyed, Evil Ryu tells him to shut up and fight, after defeating Sagat, he asks why Sagat held back, to which Sagat responds: "Why should I? You are not the Ryu who left a scar on my chest!" He tells Evil Ryu that a warrior wouldn't allow himself to be tempted by a "cheap trick", and that he will wait for his true rival to return and challenge him. After fighting and defeating several more opponents, Evil Ryu faces M. Bison at his true potential. M. Bison told Evil Ryu that he came a long way, but he is only human and cannot resist the evil energy within, and will plunge deeper into the darkness as his power grows. M. Bison considers Evil Ryu powerful enough to be his source of energy; Evil Ryu replies that M. Bison will not succeed, and fights and defeats him. Evil Ryu then travels to Shin Akuma's location. Both fighters used the Shun Goku Satsu on each other, and the attacks canceled out, saving both of their souls. Evil Ryu asks Shin Akuma that if he knows what lies ahead and what this evil energy will bring; Akuma simply replies that "words do not have any meaning to us..." and told him to satisfy his rage and anger and attack him, claiming that only the winner will know the truth. Upon finally defeating Shin Akuma, Evil Ryu is temporarily dazed, believing that he had become a true martial artist to experience this incredible power. As he hunched over and clutched his chest, Ryu screamed in excitement and experienced a flashback of him using the fated Metsu Shoryuken against Sagat in black and white. Claimimg his fist is stained with "the blood of death", his eyes became red and his chest expanded as he screamed again. The last scene in his Story Mode shows Evil Ryu with his back turned, while looking at his fallen opponents, including M. Bison. He screams in excitement one last time and approaches the location of Akuma's stage, deeming himself "the supreme master of the fist". As the "destruction" (metsu) kanji appears on the back of his gi, Evil Ryu's final words of the storyline ("Where...? Where can I find the one who can defeat me?!") reveal that his 'downfall' is complete, and he has now taken on Akuma's original burden. In the Game Boy Advance version of Street Fighter Alpha 3, Evil Ryu has an alternate ending if he lost to Shin Akuma. Shin Akuma states that while he fought well, he was no match for the Raging Demon, and that he is the embodiment of pure evil. This ending is only present in the aforementioned version. Ultra Street Fighter II: The Final Challengers Some time after, Evil Ryu entered in the second World Warrior tournament. Once there, he defeats M. Bison in battle. Bison is speechless that his Psycho Power lost to Evil Ryu, to which the latter responded that defeating weaklings is not enough for him, as M. Bison's power does nothing for him to sate his thirst, and that his blood yearns for power. Evil Ryu then feels that his power to destroy everything will take him to new heights and sets out to search for Akuma, as he knows that Akuma is worth a fight to the death. Street Fighter IV series In the original Street Fighter IV, Evil Ryu appears in Akuma's intro as a vision during his meditation in a remote location in a cave. In his intro for Super Street Fighter IV: Arcade Edition, he is shown in the middle of nowhere, lying down. As he regains consciousness, he has been fully engulfed by the Satsui no Hado, which grants him incredible power. He then sets out, saying that the ultimate power has awakened within him. In his ending, his actions have attracted the attention of Shadaloo, and two grunts intercept him with firearms, saying that M. Bison has summoned him. He pays them no heed and growls in rage, causing the grunts to panic, and murders them before they can react. As they lay on the ground, he says that he is not sated, that his Hado craves more blood and violence - something he claims nothing less than a fight to the death can quench. Street Fighter V series In Ryu's character story, Evil Ryu appears in Ryu's dream who tries to convinces his normal self about the power of destruction to kill and it is the destiny of his own fist. Ryu finally rejects his word and knowing this is not his answer. This has resulted in Kage incarnating. Gameplay Techniques Gallery Also See [[w:c:streetfighter:Evil Ryu|Evil Ryu's page on the Street Fighter Wiki]] Category:Characters Category:Male Characters Category:Tekken X Street Fighter Category:Street Fighter Characters Category:Non-Human Fighters